The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi, in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV, have announced an extended West End run of My Neighbour Totoro. The production uses expertly implemented design and puppetry to bring the story to life on stage, showcasing the practical craftsmanship that goes into any RSC creation. What's On spoke to Ami Okumura Jones and Victoria Chen, who play young sisters Satsuki and Mei, to find out more...

Created in Stratford-upon-Avon and premiered at the Barbican Theatre in 2022, the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) spectacular stage production of My Neighbour Totaro has now taken up residence in London's Gillian Lynne Theatre, where it will show in an extended run of performances until next March.

The 1988 animated film of the same name (albeit with an American spelling) was created by Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It has become an enduring classic, which combines a touching human story with wild, surreal fantasy.

The story follows 10-year-old Satsuki and her younger sister, Mei, as they adjust to a new life in the countryside with their father, in the hope that the change will eventually benefit their hospitalised mother. Exploring the natural world around her new home, Mei befriends Totaro, a formidably large - but very cuddly - spirit of the forest...

Ami Okumura Jones has portrayed Satsuki since the show's first inception. Victoria (Vic) Chen, who plays Mei, joined the company this year. Both Ami and Vic have memories of watching the film, and other Studio Ghibli creations, as children.

"My mother is Japanese, and I grew up in Hong Kong." says Ami. "The films were as foundational to my childhood as Wallace & Gromit or Toy Story might be for a more Western audience. I don't remember the first time I saw them - they were just always there."

For Vic, the sisters' story resonates with her own childhood experiences. "How do you navigate what the world is throwing at you? When you don't understand what's going on, you're moving to a new place, you've got to be brave, and you've got to make new friends - it can get quite scary. This story reminds us to be curious. To keep our hearts, our minds, and our arms open to whatever comes - and to have joy!"

All the characters are played by adult actors, but Vic and Ami are incredibly childlike on stage, partly due to their own performances, but also thanks to their fellow cast members. "We work with such a great company of actors," says Vic. "They're really good at suspending their disbelief as they talk to us, especially when we have Kimie Nakano's costumes on. We really look like kids!" And while the story is definitely still a hit with youngsters, nostalgic adults also make up a proportion of its audience.

"When you watch My Neighbor Totaro, depending on where you are in life, it's astonishing how the film seems to change," Ami explains. "Its this magical fairytale when you're a kid, and then it becomes quite a heart-wrenching, bittersweet tale as an adult."

The stage show was adapted by Tom MortonSmith and produced by the film's composer, Joe Hisaishi, with the Royal Shakespeare Company. While the story might seem decidedly un-Shakespearean, Vic has her own theories about why Totaro and the RSC are a perfect fit.

"The Royal Shakespeare Company is bringing stories to life from around the world, the way Shakespeare did, and bringing new audiences into the theatre. Listening to what people are interested in, bringing it to the stage, giving them a new experience - it makes a lot of sense for the RSC to be telling a story like this. It's poetic in its own way. I think Shakespeare would be proud, if he were alive."

"We are part of a long and very proud heritage," adds Ami, harking back to the RSC's contribution to mega-hits Les Miserables and Matilda. "They are champions of new and exciting work, as well as being custodians of Shakespeare."

My Neighbour Totaro, like Les Mis, premiered at London's Barbican Centre, the RSC's home-away-from-home in the capital. This year, the production has moved half an hour down the road to the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which has a slightly cosier stage set-up.

"What you gain there is a sense of intimacy that I really wasn't expecting," says Ami. "It's been magnificent watching the creative team and the backstage crew find solutions to how we fit this enormous, wonderful show in there ... The backstage ballet and choreography is as impressive as what you see on stage."

Larger-than-life style is built into the design of the show - in particular, through the puppetry. Bringing to life creatures that were originally dreamed up via hand-drawn animation is no mean feat. From the wobbly, chaotic chickens (Vic's favourite puppets) to the psychedelic, 12-legged Catbus (yes, it's a cat that is also a bus!), real care has been taken to represent the magic and wonder of each puppet's design.

"That journey is complete when you put them in the hands of the puppeteers, and they come to life," says Ami.

"You get delicate, deceptively simple puppets, and then you get some really big ones that are marvels of design, engineering and puppetry ... It makes our job easy - it's not difficult to believe they're alive."

Alongside recognisable characters, the play's score, rearranged and orchestrated by Will Stewart, will be familiar to fans of the film. In fact, it was a condition of the adaptation that composer Joe Hisaishi would be involved during production.

"The soundtrack is so iconic and so beloved," says Ami. "You can see the musicians throughout the show. The puppeteers are called the Kazego - 'wind spirits'. They are the spirits of the forest, who move the story about. The band are all in green, up in the trees - they are like spirits as well. Music is interwoven into the piece, and integral."

Ami has fond memories of the show's rehearsal period, in Stratford-upon-Avon: "We spent eight weeks of summer in the countryside around Stratford, making the show. It felt perfect. We were having our lunch next to the river, watching the swans, and then going back to create a show about the forest. The sticks that I drop in Act 1 - we needed some sticks, so a stage manager went out and collected some sticks! They stayed with us to the West End!

"Talking about the spirits of the forest, among all those trees, we did feel like Will's spirit was smiling down at us, giving us the thumbs-up."

My Neighbour Totoro shows at Gillian Lynne Theatre, London, until Sunday 29 March 2026